In His Sights (10 page)

His thumbs brushed her nipples, hardening the already pert peaks to bullet points. Bending, he flicked one of the little points with his tongue, sending small tremors of delight through her nerve endings. He laved first that nipple, then the other, before working to unfasten her pants.

He pushed them down, along with her lacy panties, and she stepped out of them. Bared to his hungry gaze, her desire mounted. “I need you. Now.”

His lazy grin was disarming. “You've got me.”

Crowding close, she walked him backward until the backs of his legs touched the mattress. Then she gave him a playful shove, enjoying a sense of satisfaction to see the hotter-than-hell detective sprawled on her bed. Pouncing, she quickly crawled over him to straddle his waist and bent to spread kisses on his yummy chest.

“Damn, that feels good,” he whispered. “You have magic lips.”

“Mmm, but
you
have the magic wand.” Scooting down some, she reached for him and began to stroke the rigid length.

Chuckling, he raised his hips, making it clear how much he loved the attention. She gave him a few more strokes and then reached for the square packet on the
nightstand. Quickly she tore it open and sheathed his cock. She held him while she got into position, then slowly lowered herself, working him inside.

“It's been so long . . .” she breathed. He was a tight fit. So snug the stretch almost burned.

“Don't hurt yourself, honey.”

“I won't. Just need to adjust.”

Gradually, her channel relaxed to accommodate him and the burn began to ease. As she moved up and down, riding him, the discomfort gave way to heat that started in her sex and spread to her limbs. She wanted to get under his skin, merge, become a part of him.

As she rode him, the way he gazed up at her, as though she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, spiraled her desire out of control. His big hands spanned her waist and held on as she increased the tempo, bouncing on his lap. Breathy moans filled the air. Hers and his mingled, along with the musky scent of sex.

All too soon, her passion was driven over the edge. “Oh! I'm gonna—”

“Do it,” he urged, fucking her hard. “Come all over my cock, baby.”

Unable to hold back, she shattered. The orgasm rolled over her in a tidal wave of ecstasy, shaking her to the foundations. Her lover quickly followed, burying himself deep and grinding his hips, head thrown back as he spasmed on and on, filling her with heat.

Spent, she draped herself across his chest and kissed his lips. He responded with enthusiasm, returning the kiss for a long moment. Pulling back, she smiled down at him.

“Stay for a while?”

“I'd love to. I'll be up early, though, before Maddy stirs. I've got some witnesses to see in the morning, anyway.”

She didn't want him to go, but knew that was for the best. “Okay. But you're all mine for now.”

“And you're mine.”

She snuggled into his side and drifted. As she did, it occurred to her that she hadn't thought of Greg at all, except for when Chris had asked about him at dinner.
Am I really ready to move on? Can I open myself up to more pain?

She didn't know about the future.

But the here and now felt pretty damned good.

*   *   *

He waited for hours.

Seething, he watched the darkened house, positive his special chosen one would come home. The others were vital, but this one . . . he was the culmination of all the careful plans. He was the one who must suffer the most, which was why he was still breathing. The others were dying swiftly, as planned.

But not him. The bastard must suffer the most horrendous death possible.

But why isn't he home? What if he suspects? Could he have figured out why he's in such agony? Does he know why he's dying, and how?

Shifting from foot to foot, he began to sweat.
No. If the cop knew, I'd be in handcuffs already. There's still time to make sure everything happens as it should.

So the cop probably didn't know. But there was one way to find out.

Making his way to the back of the house, he kept to the shadows. Using the trees and bushes as cover, he trod as silently as possible, careful not to alert the neighbor's yappy dog. Pets were always a problem and sometimes he had to shut them up. Not that he liked hurting animals. They were mostly nice, but he had to do what was necessary.

Moving slowly, he skirted the backyard and was halfway to the back patio door when he saw something interesting. In the light coming from the back porch bulb, he saw there was a hole in the grass, obviously dug on purpose. Dirt was piled to one side of the hole, and there was a wire with a small red flag to mark the spot. As if the big pile of fucking dirt wasn't a clue about the hole.

Briefly, he wondered what sort of work was being done, then shrugged. Who the hell cared? Hurrying, he made his way to the back door. This was the tricky part—he was exposed, unscrewing the hot bulb with a cloth from his pocket. If anyone saw him, the chase was on.

But nobody did. In seconds, he had his special tools out and had jimmied the door open, and was stepping inside.

It had been a calculated risk, targeting the cop. But this was meant to be. The bastard had to pay. Justice would be done for the wrongs he'd suffered.

Inside, he shook himself from his musings and took a look around. He didn't dare turn on a light, so he fished the small penlight from his jeans and used it instead. The house was tidy, not much out of place. The kitchen had a couple of dishes in the sink, two bills tossed onto the counter. Also on the counter was a scrap of paper with a
number scrawled on it, and above that the words
City of Sugarland Utilities
.

Could that be the reason for the small mess in the backyard? Going on a hunch, he walked over to the sink and turned on the water. Bingo! Nothing came out. The water had been turned off, which meant his target was likely staying somewhere else until it was fixed.

Dammit—now his plans had been put on hold.

He took a calming breath. The important thing was that they were merely on hold, not destroyed.

Just to be sure, he went to check on the items most crucial to his revenge. Heart pounding, he searched, fearful that the ace up his sleeve had been discovered too soon. But no!

The items were still there. Relief made his limbs grow weak. Now he needed to get out of here before he was found. Quickly, he retraced his steps and let himself out, then, after some debate, screwed the bulb back in over the porch. He could've left it, but if the cop got curious, he might snoop around. And if he did that, he might find the very faint scratches around the lock on his door.

One thing could lead to another. So the bulb was put back to rights.

He'd gotten away clean and congratulated himself for a covert operation well done.

One more step toward his goal.

“Do I need to ask what—or who—is responsible for putting that stupid grin on your face?”

Chris looked up from the file he was holding and saw Taylor Kayne standing just inside Chris's office, his expression open and betraying his good humor. “I guess the rumors are flying, huh?”

“About you and the foxy doc? Hell yeah, what else is there to gossip about?” Taylor leaned against the wall. “When are you going to introduce me? I somehow missed the pleasure at the party.”

“You have your own pretty lady,” he said, sharper than he'd intended.

The detective laughed. “Relax. I'm quite happy with Cara. You've got it bad already, man.”

“Sorry.” He forced himself to relax. “I'll introduce you guys soon.”

“Been going out a lot?”

“We had our first big date last Friday night,” he said, warming to Taylor's interest. “I took Robyn to that new
Italian place on the river. It was great.
She's
great, and so is her little girl. We—”

“Whoa, a kid?” Taylor whistled, arching a brow. “That sounds real domestic.”

“So what? Maddy's a sweet girl, and she hasn't had a father figure in her life for a while now. She and I get along really well.”

“It's cool,” Taylor said, nodding. “I was just wondering if you were ready for an instant family, that's all. I mean, I've watched Shane go through it with Drew, and even though the boy is older and is a good kid, that doesn't make the adjustment any easier.”

“I know. Shane's my cousin and I saw all that go down, remember? Anyway, I don't want to jump the gun, but things are going well. I've taken lunch to Robyn at the hospital twice since our date, and it's been fun. We've got plans to take Maddy out together tonight when I get off.”

“That's cool. I'm glad to see you so happy. For real.”

“Thanks. Like I said, it's early. And there's this hesitance in Robyn that worries me.” He paused, trying to find the right words. “We get along great, and the chemistry is off the charts. But when I hint at getting serious, she changes the subject or clams up.”

“Ah,” his friend said sagely. “A woman with baggage. Don't worry, it sounds like she's really into you.”

“I think she is. I just wish she'd open up more about her past, particularly with her husband.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Robyn told me that he passed away two years ago, but I get the distinct
impression there's more to it than that. Whatever happened has left her scarred, and afraid.”

Taylor clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Don't sweat this, and don't push too hard. She'll tell you when she's ready.”

He sighed. “Yeah, you're right. It's just hard not to push when it's in my nature.”

Just then, Shane stuck his head in the door, leaned in, and smacked his partner on the arm. “You gonna stand in here and shoot the shit with my cuz all day? Come on, lazy ass, we've got cases to solve.”

“Yeah, yeah, suck my dick.”

“Not even for a million dollars. Let's go, shithead.”

With that he was gone, leaving Taylor to glare after him. “Some days I wonder how I ended up with that asshole for my partner.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Right. Says the guy who about lost his mind both times Shane was nearly killed on the job.”

“Well, that was different.”

“Sure.” Those two were best friends, and they weren't fooling anybody.

“Gotta run. Good luck with the female thing.” Taylor started out the door, then stopped and turned. “Just so you know, it never gets any easier to understand them.”

“Thanks. That's uplifting advice.”

“You're welcome.”

Chris left his office a step behind Taylor and went in search of the captain. He found Rainey in the break room, munching on a bagel.

“Hey, you know those have been out on the table for two days,” Chris told him with a smirk.

Rainey stopped chewing for a second, then shook his head. “Don't care. I'm starving.” He paused, eyeing Chris. “What's up?”

“I need to ask you something. It's kind of strange and it's not even a case yet. In fact, it may be nothing at all.”

Rainey frowned. “We need to go to my office?”

“No, I think this is fine. It's not top secret, that I know of.” Where to start? “Have you heard anything about the medical examiner being concerned about a number of deaths in the area?”

The captain's expression cleared, and he nodded. “Yeah. She phoned the chief and he told a select few of us, mostly the captains and lieutenants. Of course, he wants it kept quiet for now, pending any evidence that she could be right, enough to start an official investigation. How'd
you
learn about it?”

“I'm seeing one of the doctors from the hospital, Robyn Lassiter. She's the one who first spoke to Eden about the suspicious rise in the number of heart attack deaths the hospital is seeing. The victims are coming in with the same symptoms, and most of them have died.”

“I heard. But there's not much we can do when the autopsies haven't shown anything beyond heart failure, and nothing to pinpoint a culprit, either natural or man-made.”

“Nothing to pinpoint it
yet
. The thing is . . . you know about my health issues,” he said quietly, though the break room was still empty. “You're one of only a handful of people who does. What you don't know—that I didn't either until recently—is that my symptoms are the same as those people who've died.”

Rainey's eyes widened. “Shit. You sure?”

Chris rested his hip on a table and stared at the floor. “Nausea, sweats, weakness in my limbs, general exhaustion, dizziness, and a racing heart. That last one is the scariest. Right now I'm fine, or at least better than I've been. This has been a good week—I'm just tired instead of all the rest.”

“But they've done all sorts of tests. They haven't found anything wrong.”

“You don't think that's weird in itself? These are common symptoms that overlap with any number of diseases and conditions and yet they've found
nothing
?” Chris asked, looking him in the eye. “I'm not a hypochondriac. I'm
sick
, Cap. And I'm starting to get scared. There's something going on and we need to find out what, before more people end up like the rest, including me.”

“What would you have me do?” Rainey spread his hands in frustration. “There's nothing to investigate yet. Give me something to go on and I'll back you.”

“Let me do some poking around,” he urged. “I need a list of those victims who've died of heart failure after showing the same symptoms, not just from Sugarland, but the whole county. The ME will help me with that, I know she will.”

Rainey wasn't convinced. “You're borrowing trouble. If you go stirring up folks, start a panic, and get our asses in a sling—”

“Cap, I swear there's something to this.” Lowering his voice, he made a last appeal. “I'm fighting for my life here. I can
feel
it. Give me a chance to figure out what's going on.”

Rainey was quiet for a long moment. At last, he gave in reluctantly. “All right. Look into it,
off
the record. Tread lightly if you question any of the survivors. I swear to you if you get us in trouble, I will fuck you over so hard you'll be calling me sweetheart.”

Chris smiled. “Thanks, Cap! You won't regret this. I promise.”

“That remains to be seen. One more thing—you start having those symptoms again, you let me know. Don't keep this to yourself, or you could end up on that list.”

“I hear you. And thanks.”

Rainey walked out, snagging another stale bagel, leaving Chris to ponder his last words. The other man had no idea how afraid Chris truly was. Nobody did.

He suspected it wouldn't be long before something came to a head. He just hoped he survived long enough to solve the case.

With that squared away, he returned to his office and placed a call to Laura Eden. The medical examiner wasn't in her office, so he left a message that didn't say too much, in case someone else heard it. But he did say it was urgent, so hopefully she'd call back soon.

In the meantime, other cases awaited. And another elementary school visit with Valor this afternoon. One more outing in the smelly suit before he could go home and get ready for his date with two special girls.

He grinned a little at that. Who'da thought?

Pushing to his feet, he started to skirt his desk when a wave of dizziness hit him hard, making his head swim. The room dipped, and for a second he thought he'd fall. Fumbling, he reached out blindly for the
desktop and steadied himself. After a few seconds, the feeling passed.

But the fear remained.

He wondered how long he had before the grim reaper came to call—and he was forced to answer the door.

*   *   *

Chris was beyond tired as he pulled his car into Robyn's driveway.

He'd come straight from work, not even stopping at his own house first even though he needed a change of clothes for one more night at Shane and Daisy's. The water line should be fixed by tomorrow. The city had declared it wasn't their problem since it was on his property. Of course, the plumber was backed up but had sworn it would be taken care of.

He wouldn't hold his breath.

Robyn opened the door just as he stepped onto the porch. Swiftly, he moved in for a kiss and held her tight, liking how she pressed her body to his and played with his hair.

“Is the munchkin ready to go?” he asked.

She gave a laugh. “Since the crack of dawn, bugging me every five minutes before I took her to school about when you were coming, and starting right up again after we got home.”

That made him feel pretty damned good. “Where is she?”

“In the kitchen, making sure we have plenty of snacks. But don't worry,” she said, giving him one last squeeze and then stepping back to let him in. “I made sure you
and I have stuff to nibble on besides Pop-Tarts and fruit chews.”

“You are a very wise woman.”

“I have my moments.”

“Hey, Maddy!” he called. “You gonna come see me or what?”

“Chris!” The sound of a chair scraping across the tiled floor came from the kitchen; then the little girl bolted toward him.

Bending, he spread his arms and braced himself for impact. She launched herself into his arms and he caught her with an exaggerated huff, then swung her around as she squealed.

“Oh my gosh, you're heavy!” he teased.

“Nuh-uh!”

Setting her down, he ruffled her hair. “You ready to go?”

“Yep!”

“Yes, sir,” Robyn corrected gently.

“Yes, sir.” Maddy wrinkled her nose and pouted for a second, but instantly forgot about it, her attention more focused on their upcoming outing. “I wanna help carry the picnic basket!”

Robyn shook her head. “Sweet pea, it's too heavy. You can take the bag with the chips.”

“Okay.”

Chris watched her dash to the kitchen. “I'm not sure I ever had that much energy.”

“She can be a handful. You sure you want to do this?” Her question was half teasing, but there was something
else in her eyes and tone. As if she almost expected him to back out.

“Are you kidding? I've been looking forward to this all day. And I told you before, Maddy's a great kid. Gets it from her mother.”

Robyn's cheeks flushed, making her look even more beautiful—if that was possible. Before she could respond, Maddy came bounding back in with a plastic grocery sack in hand.

“We got two kinds of chips,” she announced. “Sour cream and onion, and cheese puffs.”

“Sour cream and onion are my favorite,” he told her, and was rewarded with a wide smile.

“Me, too.”

He looked to Robyn. “I've got the cooler in the car with the drinks in it. If you're ready, I'll grab the picnic basket from the kitchen.”

“I'm ready.”

“Yay!” Maddy sprinted out the door, oblivious to Robyn calling out to wait.

“That child.” She sighed, hurrying after her daughter.

Chuckling, Chris walked into the kitchen and retrieved the basket. He hauled it outside, where Robyn was waiting to lock the house, and then started down the steps. Maddy was jumping up and down beside the Camaro, singing to herself a song that sounded suspiciously like one by Katy Perry. Not that he listened to that stuff, but hell, he didn't live under a rock.

Privately, Chris thought the munchkin was way too young for that sort of music, but it wasn't his place to say.

Unlocking the car, he placed the basket in the trunk
next to the cooler. Neither one was overly large, so they fit fine. Robyn got Maddy buckled in the backseat and then climbed into the front. Chris slid behind the wheel, and then they were on their way for an afternoon of fun at Cheatham Dam Park.

The day had turned out to be gorgeous, a bit on the hot side still but not unbearable. Chris listened to Maddy chatter about school, mostly who was mean and who was nice among both students and teachers—of supreme importance to a first grader, apparently—and how she loved PE, hated math, and brought her own lunch because the cafeteria food was gross. She was inexhaustible.

And she was just about the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

A few minutes later, he turned down Cheatham Dam Road, enjoying the winding path with its hills. Soon he was pulling into the park, where the hills and trees parted, giving way to the flatter area of the park next to the Cumberland River. He found a spot near the playground that had a table where they could set up.

As soon as the car was parked, Maddy bolted for the playground. Robyn, he noted, held back from admonishing her, probably because they were so close to the area. But she scowled after her daughter, lips thinned.